


how bright

by volleycatnika



Series: how bright, how blue, how beautiful - commander!matt holt [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, based on my matt holt rp blog, commander!holt, commander!matt holt verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/volleycatnika/pseuds/volleycatnika
Summary: Shiro saved him. His crewmate, his pilot, his best friend, his crush saved him. His crush saved him just to be crushed - It was common knowledge that few survived the Galra arena. Those that did returned different. So different that they seemed to be completely different people.ORHow Matt escaped Galra imprisonment and started to create a life for himself amongst the stars.Based on my Matt rp blog & "How Bright, How Blue, How Beautiful" by Florence + The Machine.https://commander-holt.tumblr.com/





	1. Chapter 1

Shiro saved him. His crewmate, his pilot, his best friend, his _crush_ saved him. His crush saved him just to be crushed - It was common knowledge that few survived the Galra arena. Those that did return, returned different. So different that they seemed to be completely different people.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The survivors are nothing but shells; shells that survive by killing. Blood stains their hands and their clothes. The first few times they gain stains they make a show of scrubbing it off but after a while… They stop caring. They become dangerous, murderous… It is due to such occurrences that Matt is both horrified and relieved by the fact that Shiro doesn’t return. Because, after all, the Shiro that returned wouldn’t be his Shiro. He would be a monster with Shiro’s face. Even though he tells himself that it’s for the best, and even his father agrees with him, he cries himself to sleep. _Why did you have to be a hero? Why did it have to end this way?_

To his horror, Shiro wouldn’t be the only one he cried himself to sleep over. He would lose his father next. The guards divide the prisoners into two groups. Even though he may not be an expert in alien biology, Matt can tell that they’re dividing them based on age. After all, age is one of the few things that the various prisoners could have in common.

Matt knows that anything the Galra do is done with a purpose, and a nefarious one at that. He won’t let the Galra take another person he cares about. Unsure of how to get them to change their minds, he settles for mimicking the technique that Shiro used earlier. Matt fails. They take his father and leave him with the promise of _don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to shine soon._

As soon as the next morning, Matt hears of his father’s fate. It’s all the guards can talk about _the largest group yet_ , _the Empire will make a fortune_ , _vrepit-sa!_ When he hears no other details of his father’s transfer, he fears for this worst. They’ve made his father a slave, or they’ve sent him to a work camp, or they’ve done something so horrible that he can’t even imagine it. His skin crawls at all of the possibilities. His father doesn’t deserve such a fate. No one does.

Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into- Nothing. His weeks don’t turn into months because he doesn’t last long. Just three weeks after Shiro’s death and two since the separation from his father, he is thrown into the arena. Once in, he’s greeted by bright lights, and thunderous cries of _victory or death!_

Matt doesn’t like the sound of that. He doesn’t like the sound of that _at all_. Rapidly blinking, his eyes slowly adjust to the bright lights. When his gaze clears and he is finally able to see his opponent, he finds himself wishing that he was still blinded by the bright arena lights.

His opponent is a literally beast - So large that it may as well be a mountain, frothing at the mouth and gazing at him with unfocused eyes. To Matt, the beast before him is nightmare worthy. The creature looks as though it could force him into an early eternal slumber. With the roar of the crowd echoing in his ears, and the searing hot feeling of panic surging through his veins, he does what he does best- he runs. He searches for an exit, a solution. _I can’t die here! Shiro didn’t save me just so I could die soon after! I have to save my father! I have to-_ The realization hits him like a blow to the face. In order to do anything, he must first survive.


	2. Chapter 2

The mountain of a beast is faster than it looks. After numerous close calls, the beast manages to land a couple of blows. Said blows involve a lot of teeth and nails. The pain is immediate, sharp and unbearable. The pain is so intense that it takes a good amount of Matt’s energy to stop himself from screaming - from giving the crowd what it wants.  _ Scream, weakling! Die, weakling! Blood, blood, blood!”  _

The beast acts as though it already won, emitting victory roars and focusing its gaze on the crowd.  _ Perfect, just perfect.  _ Struggling to his feet, Matt first scans the area around him for something that he can use as a weapon. He’s both horrified and relieved to find that one of the monster’s claws- nails-  _ what is alien biology? _ \- is stuck in his left thigh. Luckily it isn’t in very deep, with him being able to pull it out in a matter of seconds. 

With makeshift weapon in hand, he sneaks up behind the beast. First crouching despite the screams of protest from his aching, bleeding legs, he flings himself onto the beast's back. To Matt’s surprise, the beast doesn’t notice. It’s still too busy roaring and celebrating its thought to be quick victory. Not sure how much longer the dumb beast will fail to notice the weight of him on its back, Matt hastily climbs until he’s near its head. WIth shaking hands, he drives the claw into whatever is nearest to him. With the monster turning it’s head at the last second, this happens to be one of its eyes.

The cry the beast emits is deafening. Covering his own ears upon reflex, Matt falls off the monster’s back. Unable to bring himself to stand, he settles for scooting backwards on his butt. Once the beast is done howling and clutching its injured eye, it spins to face Matt. Picking him up just by his right foot, the beast holds him at eye level. Well, more like mouth level because it appears to want to eat him.

Matt wiggles in an attempt to get free. In response, the beast merely tightens it grip. Its grip is painfully effective, with Matt feeling as though it is  _ literally _ crushing his foot. With a scream, he uses his free leg to kick the hand that clutches his foot. This does little more than annoy the monster. However, his desperate attempts to free himself does distract the monster, who loosens its grip ever so slightly.

Swinging himself back and forth to gain momentum, he is able to swing high enough to drive the claw into the monster’s hand. Now _ this _ makes the monster let go. Matt falls to the floor of the arena with a loud thud and a pained cry. His cry is accompanied by the annoyed growl of the beast that lunges for him. Despite all of the noise, Matt is still able to hear the crackling of the electricity lined arena walls behind him. 

_ That’s it. That’s my way out!  _ The last thing Matt remembers before passing out is hearing an ear piercings scream and having the stench of burning fur fill his nose. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Look at how bright you are,” the witch remarks, her glowing hands hovering over his body. “With that brain of yours and my technology you will be unstoppable. How does that make you feel, human?” Just the sound of her voice is enough to send shivers down his spine. “Does it make you feel important? Does it make you feel special?”

“It makes me feel as though I’m destined to become a monster,” is Matt’s quiet reply.

“You are not wrong,” the witch cackles. “You are not wrong.” Silence envelopes them after that, and is only broken when a cart is wheeled into the room. Matt’s heart sinks when he notices that the presence of the cart makes the witch’s lips curl into a smile. Tugging the cloth covering it in a dramatic manner, she reveals a prosthetic foot. “And not just a foot,” she corrects, seeming to read his mind, “but a weapon. You are to become our new champion.”

“What happened to the old one?” Matt asks, even though he has a feeling he doesn’t want to know the answer.

“Old champion? Ah, that friend of yours. He died after his second fight. He was a weakling.”

“You’re a liar! You’re a filthy liar!” Matt screams and doesn’t stop screaming until she injects a strange liquid into his veins. 

 


End file.
